jonathan serrie live for us in atlanta. jonathan? >> reporter: hi, jon. well, sponsors of the new law say it will give alabama taxpayers a more accurate assessment of just how much they're spending each year on providing public services such as education to illegal immigrants in that state. but some public school officials are concerned about a provision in the law requiring them to report statistics on how many undocumented students they enroll. that, they say, could put them in violation of federal law which prevents public schools there turning away homeless or migrant children who lack birth certificates or proof of residency. >> if a kid comes in here and speaks broken english, should we then begin some kind of document search on 'em? should we ask for their green card? should we fingerprint 'em? you know, we're certainly not going to do those things. >> reporter: alabama lawmakers insist the new legislation does not require schools to refuse to educate anyone or turn any child in to authorities. they say the law will provide taxpayers a better idea